DOMINANT ANGLE
Rome takes away from the Zacharia affair a lightning-fast fall in domestic policy: five days, a disputed lawyer title, and a president addressing voters alone before the midterms.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
La Repubblica, citing the New York Times, announces the spokesperson was fired after 5 days; Trump says he advised her to reconsider the position.
- 02
Adnkronos: Zacharia would have never passed the bar exam and held only one press conference, interrupted after three questions.
- 03
Libero Quotidiano (Agenzia Vista, October 13, 2026) reports her slip-up calling her husband "president" during her first press meeting.
ANALYSIS
Rome, October 16, 2026. The Italian press is treating Katie Zacharia's departure as an episode of American domestic politics, just a few weeks before the November 3 midterm elections. La Repubblica, under the pen of Massimo Basile, headlines a spokesperson "fired after just 5 days" and attributes the information to the New York Times. The newspaper quotes Donald Trump in front of journalists: "This morning, I told Katie Zacharia that, if I were in her place, I would reconsider the position."
Adnkronos goes further in the story. The agency writes that Zacharia, supposed to replace Karoline Leavitt, was "overwhelmed by controversy" over her lawyer title: she would never have passed the bar exam. According to the agency, Trump "effectively fired her," as American media reconstruct it. The president reports a more subdued exchange: "Is this really what you want, Katie? Honestly, you don't need it." He adds that she was "treated very harshly," that she is "a brave person," and that he "will leave the decision to her," suggesting that a new conversation will take place.
Adnkronos also recalls the brevity of her passage: a single press point, lasting less than a quarter of an hour at the podium, interrupted after three questions, without information on burning current events. The agency relays Fox News, according to which Trump is not pressing for the nomination of a successor. It notes that the president, who holds at least one meeting per day in view of the midterms, addresses the public directly without needing a briefing.
Libero Quotidiano, via a video from Agenzia Vista dated October 13, 2026, retains the register of the gaffe. During her first meeting with the press at the White House, Zacharia spoke about her family: "My husband – sorry, I said 'president', what a blunder! – is here with us all week." The slip, which assimilates her husband to the president, becomes the title of the article and fuels doubt about her ability to hold the position.
The whole story centers on Washington: a record of brevity, presidential communication that does without a spokesperson, and a personality weakened by her own statements. None of the three texts dwell on international reactions or diplomatic consequences.
